On a particularly cold and dark weeknight, I had a bag of red lentils, a can of coconut milk and a bunch of kale I keep on hand for smoothies. I was hungry for something warm and flavorful. In less than an hour, I was ladling this flavorful curry lentil soup into bowls and it turned out to be incredibly delicious and hearty despite the short list of good-for-you ingredients. The people of Instragram asked for the recipe and I’m glad it turned out to be good enough to share with all of you.

Vegan Coconut Curry Lentil Soup with Kale

Serves 6-8

If you’re extra sensitive to spicy things, you can add a pinch of chile flakes or none at all. The 1/4 teaspoon of chile flakes adds a hint of spice, but double the amount if you want your soup spicy, like me.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

2 tablespoons curry powder

1 teaspoon tumeric

1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes

8 cups of water

1 1/2 cups dried red lentils, washed and picked over

2-3 teaspoons of fine sea salt

1 can coconut milk

1 bunch of kale, leaves removed from stalk and chopped

Instructions

In a large pot, add the coconut oil, onion, garlic, curry powder, tumeric, chile flakes and 1/8 teaspoon of sea salt and heat over medium heat. Once the onions start sizzling, turn the heat to low and cook 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until onions are soft.

Add 8 cups of water, lentils and 2 teaspoons of sea salt. Turn heat to medium low. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits of onion or seasoning that started to stick to the bottom of the pot. Put the lid on the pot and simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are soft. Taste to see if additional salt is needed.

Stir in coconut milk and chopped kale. Cook until the coconut milk is heated and kale has wilted a bit. Taste again for seasoning and adjust with salt if necessary.

Recipe from Nicole Dula at http://www.dulanotes.com/vegan-coconut-curry-lentil-soup-with-kale/